IMSA makes its annual Canadian stop at CTMP, all four United Racing Series tours are on track between Flamboro and Full Throttle, the Ontario Legend Car Series and Great Lakes Legends Series race on the same card, and more, in this week’s preview.
IMSA Chevrolet Grand Prix
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (WSC) returns for its annual stop north of the border, with the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). The GTP class won’t be part of the line-up this year, but there will still be plenty to watch, with 35 entries for the LMP2, GTD and GTD Pro classes; there’s also a large contingent of Canadian drivers across multiple series.
Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist took the overall win, in the GTP class, in last year’s CTMP race. Braun will now compete for the overall victory in an LMP2 car, with co-driver George Kurtz; the duo are currently fifth in the championship standings, after finishing runner-up in class at Watkins Glen.
The headline Chevrolet Grand Prix will take place just after 11 a.m. ET on Sunday and will be 2 hours and 40 minutes in length; there are seven Canadians entered in the WSC:
LMP2 #8 John Farano
GTD #12 Parker Thompson
GTD #13 Orey Fidani
GTD #27 Roman De Angelis
GTD #32 Mikael Grenier
GTD #45 Kyle Marcelli
GTD #78 Misha Goikhberg
The Michelin Pilot Challenge will contest its two-hour race beginning just before 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday; the series will have the largest Canadian contingent, with 15 drivers entered:
GS #22 Justin Di Benedetto & Travis Hill
GS #34 Jesse Webb
GS #38 Thomas Collingwood
GS #50 Parker Thompson
GS #57 Daniel Morad
GS #69 Jesse Lazare
TCR #6 LP Montour & Jon Brel
TCR #33 Robert Wickens
TCR #52 Dean Baker & Sam Baker
TCR #76 Denis Dupont
TCR #93 Karl Wittmer
TCR #98 Mark Wilkins
Defending TCR class champion Robert Wickens (with co-driver Harry Gottsacker) will be looking to snap a two-year race winless streak that dates back to his 2022 victory at CTMP. He missed most of that weekend due to the birth of his son, after just two previous appearances at CTMP, in 2006 and 2009.
“Although I feel like I know the track like the back of my hand from watching it over the years, I actually don’t have much on-track experience,” said Wickens. “(In 2022) I think there were a lot of people who were looking forward to seeing me, talking to me, etc., because the fans are so passionate; I kind of skipped through all that, I only arrived an hour before the race and straight onto the grid and into the car. Last year was really my first true taste of the home event from Thursday through Sunday.”
The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and Mazda MX-5 Cup will each have two races this weekend. Canadians Jonathan Woolridge (No. 38) and George Staikos (No. 61) will compete in the P3 class for the SportsCar Challenge, with Jesse Lazare (No. 21) and Jack Polito (No. 98) competing in GSX. The lone Canadian in the MX-5 Cup is Jonathan Neudorf (No. 55).
United Racing Series
The APC United Late Model Series and Dayco Super Stock Series will be in action on Saturday at Flamboro Speedway. Dayco will be up first, with a 50-lap feature at 7:30 p.m. local time, followed by the APC Series, with a 100-lap event at 8:40 p.m.
Defending champion Kyle Steckly became the first repeat APC Series winner this season with his victory on the Canada Day weekend at Delaware Speedway. Half of Steckly’s six series wins have come at Flamboro, including a stop earlier this season and his first series checkered flag in 2021.
Ryan Dyson won the most recent Dayco race, at Delaware, after defending champion Carson Nagy won the opener. Nagy has a three-point lead over Lane Zardo through two of five races, while Steckly leads the APC Series standings by three points over Blair Wickett.
The Just Foam It OSCAAR Modifieds and JRS Auctions OSCAAR Hot Rods will compete at Full Throttle Motor Speedway on Saturday. Brad Pearsall and Jamie Cox each recorded a Modifieds win at Delaware, extending the streak of different winners to five drivers in five races this season, and eight drivers in the last eight races overall.
Defending champion Tyler Hawn swept a pair of Hot Rods features at Delaware. Hawn leads the Hot Rods standings by 10 points over Rob Bromley, while TJ Edwards has a nine-point lead over defending champion Jason Keen in the Modifieds standings.
Canadian Series News & Notes
There will be lots of other touring series to watch here in Canada this weekend:
- The Canadian Vintage Modifieds will take to Flamboro Speedway on Saturday night. Ricky Willigar swept the most recent double features on the Canada Day weekend; Willigar and Rodney Rutherford are tied for the most wins so far this season, with three each.
- The Ontario Sportsman Series will race at Delaware Speedway on Friday night. Sophomore driver Ollie Ferguson recorded his first career victory on the Canada Day weekend at Sauble Speedway. Defending champion Cory McAllister leads the standings by 56 points over Brendan Patrick.
- The Great Lakes Legends Series will compete at Sunset Speedway on Saturday night. The most recent event, at Sauble Speedway, was rained out in late June after Josh Indig and Austin Arnel scored victories in the opening two races of the season. Arnel has an early 17-point lead over Lonnie Scott in the standings.
- The Ontario Legend Car Series will also race at Sunset Speedway on Saturday night, marking the first of seven race days this season where both legend car tours are scheduled on the same card. The most recent OLCS feature was paused due to track curfew at Peterborough Speedway, with the completion scheduled for August 10. Mitch Wright and Dawson Drimmie each have two wins in the first four races.
Local favourite Marlie Owen will make her second start of the season in the OOSLM at Peterborough. CREDIT: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media The Ontario Outlaw Super Late Models will visit Peterborough Speedway on Saturday night. Shawn Chenoweth took the victory last weekend at Sauble Speedway, his second of the season, with J.R. Fitzpatrick and defending champion Glenn Watson rounding out the podium. Watson leads a tight battle in the standings, with Dario Capirchio (one point back), Fitzpatrick (-3 points), Brandon Passer (-6) and Todd Campbell (-7) rounding out the top-five.
- The Hot Rod Classics season will continue on Saturday at Petty International Raceway, with the second of nine races on the schedule. Jeff Ainslie won the season opener at Lake Doucette Motor Speedway in early June.
- The Maritime All Star Series street stock tour will open its season on Saturday at Petty International Raceway. The series will contest five races at five tracks, concluding October 5 at Speedway Miramichi. At least 16 drivers have signed up for the inaugural season thus far, including Dennis Nickerson, who won the season opener for the MASS sportsman tour back in May.
Dylan Westbrook continued his Southern Ontario Sprints success on Thursday at Ohsweken Speedway. CREDIT:
Greg MacPhersonThe Southern Ontario Sprints continues three straight days of racing on Friday and Saturday. The series preceded NASCAR Canada at Ohsweken Speedway on Thursday night, where Dylan Westbrook took his third win in four races this season, ahead of Nick Sheridan and Ryan Turner. The 360 sprints will race again at Ohsweken on Friday night, before visiting Southern Ontario Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
- VARAC will hold its annual Peter Jackson Trophy Races on Saturday at Shannonville Motorsport Park, a rare one-day show for road racing. Practice, qualifying and two races each are on the schedule for the Classic/Modern Classic, Vintage Historic and Formula Classic grids. CASC-OR President and VARAC member Ted Michalos told InsideTrackNews.com in an Instagram reel that regional road racing is great for fans of close action and those who are nostalgic for old cars.
- The Canadian Superbike Championship heads east for a stop at Atlantic Motorsport Park, in Shubenacadie, NS, this weekend. Two-time defending champion Ben Young leads the Pro Superbike standings by 34 points over Sam Guérin and 51 markers over Jordan Szoke. Young has three wins in six races this season.
International Series News & Notes
There will also be some international series to watch for this weekend:
- NASCAR’s three national tours will be in action at Pocono Raceway this weekend, with the NASCAR Truck Series on Friday evening, NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday and NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. Canadian Stewart Friesen is currently 12th in the Trucks standings, 17 points back of a playoff spot; Friesen has just two top-ten finishes in seven series starts at Pocono.
- The IndyCar Series continues a busy stretch, with a double-header at Iowa Speedway. Pato O’Ward won the first of four races in three weekends, visiting victory lane at Mid-Ohio. The Iowa races will take place on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, before the series races on the streets of Toronto next weekend.
- The Super DIRTcar Series will visit Weedsport Speedway on Sunday night. Canadian drivers have won four of six races to start the season, with three victories for St. Catharines, ON’s Mat Williamson and one victory for Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON’s Stewart Friesen. Williamson leads the standings by 18 points over Matt Sheppard.
